Diapering garment



AJune 7, 1938, R. A. TASKER 2,119,610

DIAPERING GARMENT Filed Sept. 30, 1955 2 Sheets-Shet 1 :2LH/Am ATT DRNEYJune 7, 1938. R A TASKE'R 2,119,610

DIAPERING GARMENT Filed sept. so, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 45 l INVENTUH f@am TTDRNEY Patented June 7, 1938 UNITED- STATESy 2,119,610 DIAPERINGGARMENT Robert Arthur Tasker, Fulton, N. Y., assignor of one-third toHarley N. Gates, Syracuse, N. Y.

Application September 30, 1935', Serial No. 42.831

9 Claims. This invention relates to improvements in infants garments andmore particularly to protective types of garments known as diapers andis a continuation in part of my co-pending applications Serial Number18,200 and Serial Number 18,201, filed April l25, 1935, and abandonedOctober 19 and October 6, 1937, respectively.

The main object of my invention is to provide an improved protectivegarment for infants which consists of an outer protective covering ofmore or less permanent material and an inner absorbent portion ofinexpensive material, such as paper or gauze or the like, adapted to beused only once and which may be readily discarded. A

Another object of the invention is to provide a garment of the typeabove described in whichl the absorbent pad is positively held againstcasual displacement but which may be removed with little effort whensoiled.

A further object of the invention is to provide agarment adaptedrto takethe place of a diaper which can be easily' and expeditiously applied and'removed to and from the infant but which gives complete protection,promotes.

health, does not 4cause irritation, and is capable of adjusting itselfto fit infants of different sizes. It is also an object of my inventionto provide a garment having an absorbent portion and a protective moreor less permanent covering therefor, provided with detachable fasteningmeans to enable the convenient replacement of the protective covering inthe event it becomes worn and ceases to be serviceable.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a garment of thecharacter set forth which is simple in construction, inexpensive tomanufactureY and is highly efficient in service.

Further objects and advantages relate to details of the garmentconstruction and will become apparent from the following descriptionwhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

. Figure 1 is a plan view of the outer protective covering of my garmentshowing the inside thereof and the detachable fastening means therefor.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the outer portion of the inner absorbent padadapted to be used with the covering shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the pad with portions broken away tomore clearly show the details of the construction.

Figure 4 is a perspective view. showing the garment in assembledcondition ready for use.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the garment showing the use offastening means of modified construction.

Figure 6 is a plan view showingthe outer side of the body portion ofa-modified form of the garment.

yFigure 7 is a view illustrating-the waistband and side fastening meansforisecuring the body portion shown in Figure 6 to the infant.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the garment showing the body portionof Figure 6 and the fastening means of Figure 7 in assembled conditionready for use.

Figure 9 is a perspective View of a garment similar -to that shown inFigure 6, showing a modified side fastening means.

Figure 10 is a plan view of the inner side of the garment shown inFigure 6, and

.Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the garment taken along the lineII--II of Figure 10.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral I2designates the body portion of the protective covering of my garmentwhich may be constructed of suitable moisture-proof and washablematerial, as rubber or treated cloth commonly known as Jap silk. The

\ body portion I 2 is preferably perforated, as shown at I3, for thepurpose of allowing the free circulation of air to the absorbent pad tobe secured to the body portion in a manner to be hereinafter described.It is to be understood that the perforations are shown slightlyexaggerated and that the inner absorbent pad is made so as to take upthe moisture, the outer covering merely being intended as a protectivecovering and to prevent the dampness of the inner pad from soilinganything with which the infant may come in contact.

Thebody portion I2 is formed with a portion I4 and a portion I5, adaptedto form, respectively, the back and front of the garment when it is on achild. Recesses I6, preferably. arcuate in shape, are provided,interposed between the portions I4 and I5 to form leg receiving openingswhen the garment is disposed upon the infant. The end edges l1 of theportions I4 and I 5, as well as the edges I8 of the arcuate recesses I6,are preferably gathered and bound with rubber tape I9. The gathering ismade sufiicient to draw the tape slightly taut and to enable the garmentto adjust itself to the body of the wearer Without causing discomfort.

Suitable means are provided for securing the protective covering to thebody of the wearer. I prefer to use separable fasteners of the hooklesstype, commonly known as zippers, having a part 20 attached to each ofthe portions I4 of the covering and a companion part 2| attached to eachof the portions I5, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. Preferably, theseparable parts 20 and 2| of the fasteners are secured to strips ofmoisture-proof material 22 and 23, such as rubber or Jap silk. Thestrips 22 and 23, in turn, are releasably secured to the respectivesideedges of the portions I4 and I5 by means of snap fasteners 24. By maldngthe zipper detachable from the outer covering, thesame set of zippersmay be used with several outer coverings so that the outer coverf ingsmay be discarded when worn while the relatively expensive zippers areretained for use with other outer coverings. Moreover, the outercoverings become dirty inuse and itis desirable that the mother havethree or four outer coverings available so that one will always be readyfor use whileothers are being washed. The detachability of the zippersmakes it possible to use several sets of outer coverings, changing themat inter- -vals, with a single set of zippers.

\ slides may, if desired, be provided with a snap stud 21 for engaging afemale snap fastener 26 secured to the end of a tab 29 which in turn maybe attached to the infants under garment whereby the protective coveringI2 is maintained in position and an open strip on the child between theunder shirt and protective covering is prevented. Instead of employingzipper fasteners, I may use, for fastening the garment upon the wearer,as shown in Figure 5, strips 3| of moisture-proof material, as rubber orJap silk, having snap fasteners 32 placed along the marginal edgesthereof adapted to cooperate with suitable fas-l tening means secured tothe body portion of the outer'covering. j

The absorbent pad 33 as shown in Figures 2 and 3, is adapted to bereleasably secured to the protective cover I2 by means of snap Vfastenermembers 30 and 36' secured respectively to the inner side of the outercovering and to the outer side of the protective pad. The absorbent padhas a conformation similar to that ofthe protective covering but ispreferably of .somewhat smaller dimensions so that the outer border ofthe absorbent pad lies inwardly of the outer border of the outerprotective covering. The pad 33 comprises a perforated base portion orsheet 34 of inexpensive moisture-proof material as Cellophane".Preferably, the perforations are small in size preferably placed in theCellophane pad cover so as to lie, when the garment vis assembled, .instaggered relationship with the perforations on the outer vprotectivecovering. Upon the Cellophane base sheet is placed in overlyingrelationship, a plurality of, in this instance three, sheets 35 of softcellulose or tissue paper having high absorption qualitiesr and upon thesheets of tissue paper 35 is placed a plurality of strips 36 of softglycerine treated paper which is sometimes known as wet strength paper.

The strips 36 are preferably placed with theiry adjacent ends inoverlapping relation and stitched preferably at three points 31,together with the layers 35 of tissue paper, to the base sheet 34 in amanner whereby the sheets 35 and the strips 36 are gathered,'asindicated by the wavy vertical lines, so as to improve the resiliency orcushioning effect of the pad and also the absorptive quality. Itisapparent that in the event that the paper strips 36y and thev sheets oftissue 35 become soiled in use, they may be easily separated from thebacking sheet 34 by merely breaking the threads 31, thus permitting theseveral sheets of paper to be separatedk for convenient disposal of thepad down a toilet bowl; Although asingle sheet of wet strength paper maybe employed as a covering for the pad 33 to be applied next to the bodyof the wearer, the use of the strips 36 imparts greater flexibility tothe garment and hence produces a more comfortable and useful article.

If desired, in order to provide for morecirculation of agir to the partsof the infantcovered by the garment, the paper strips 36 may also beperforated as shown in Figure 3. The exposed surface of the papercovering strips 36 is preferably sprinkled with antiseptic talcumpowder,

lindicated at 31', to assist in maintaining the badys skin in a smoothand healthy condition.

,In Figures 6 to 11, covering a modied form of garment construction, theuse of a relatively expensive protective outer covering as a means for`securing the garment to the body of the wearer has been dispensed withand a pad having an y inexpensive covering is shown with suitablefastening means for maintaining it in position for use.

In Figure 6, the numeral 40 designates acover for the garment similar inshape to the cover `shown in Figure 1, preferably of inexpensivematerial as gauze or glycerine treated paper, and provided with smallperforations 4I to permit the free circulation of air to the `portionsof the infants body covered by the'vgarment. portion of the garmentcomprises a series of layers of cellulose or soft tissue paper 42covered with a plurality of transverse strips 43 of gauze or The padglycerine treated paper, the adjacent ends of the latter stripsoverlapping each other, as shown more clearly in Figures 10 and 11. Thetissue paper layersy 42 and strips 43 are gathered and stitched togetherat 44v to form acushion effect i in a manner similar to the stitching ofthe pad shown in Figures 2"`and 3.

The pad of Figure 10 may be secured to theV covering 40 by suitablefasteners but preferably is stitched K4directly thereto by the threads44. The lower end of the pad is also provided with a plurality of sheets45 of tissue paper stitched along its lower edge to the edge of the pad46 to be used for wiping purposes.

yThe end and inclined side edges of the cover 40 are provided withfemale elements 41 of suitable snap fasteners adapted to be engaged bymale elements 48 appropriately positioned .on a waistband 49 and sidestraps 50 secured thereto for securing the garment in position upon theinfant'. The band 49 may be made of rubber or Jap silk or othermoistureproof material and is preferably perforated to permitthe freecirculation of A air to the parts covered thereby. TheV body porformedof semi-soft rubber toprevent discomfort or injury to the infant whenthe bandis in use.k

The ends of the band 49 may be secured together by snap fasteners 53 orother suitable means. The side strap portions 50, for securing theinclined side edges of the cover 40 together, may be formed integrallywith they waist band 49 or secured thereto in any other suitable manner.

These straps are preferably of the same material as the waistband andalso have their edges gathered and bound with rubber tape 5| to enablethe garment to more easily conform to the body of the wearer. The snapelementsv 48 of the strap portions 50 may be mounted upon rubbei` pads54 stitched or otherwise secured to the straps thereby to impartsufficient elasticity to the fastening means to insure acomfortableform-fltting garment. The waist-band 49 may be also providedwith tabs 55 having a buttonhole-SG in the free end thereof, or otherfastening `means for securing the garment to the underwaist of theinfant, as indicated in Figure 9.

I have found that in using the garment shown in Figures 6 and 10 uponsmaller infants during sleeping hours or upon larger children, it wasdesirableto omit the waist-band 49 and merely employ side strapfastening means 55', as shown in Figure 9. In this instance, the sidestraps 55 arevsimilar in construction to straps 50, shown in Figure '7,and are used in the same manner. It will be apparent that tabs similarto tabs 55 may be secured to the side straps 55 if desired. Also;

for sleeping hours the outer covering' may be omitted.

In use, the garment of the type shown in Fig- .ures 1 to 4, theprotective covering I2 with the fastening straps 22 and 23 attached andthe pad 34 in place is laid flat and the infant is placed upon the padin a manner so that the portion I4 is arranged to contact the middle ofthe childs back with the legs or hips in alignment with the recesses I6.The portion l5 is then drawn lupwardly between the' legs and over thestomach of the child and the cooperating portions 20 and 2| of thehookless fastening means are connected in the usual manner. 'I'hegathered edges- I1 and I8 enable the garment to conform snugly butcomfortably to the body of the child at the waist and legs. The garmentof Figures 6 to 11 is intended primarily for smaller children and isplaced on the child in a similar manner to that of Figures 1 to 4.

It will be apparent that I have provided a new and improved diaperinggarment for children and that various modifications and changes may bemade therein without departing from the spirit of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a diapering garment; an outer protective covering made ofwater-proof material having a plurality of perforations therein, saidperforations being of small size and being spaced substantiallythroughout the area of the protective covering, an inner absorbent padcarried by the outer protective covering, said pad having a covering ofwater-repellent material having a plurality of perforations therein, andmeans for securing the garment to a child.

2. In a diapering garment, an easily disposable pad formed of softabsorbent material and a backing sheet secured to the layers ofabsorbent material in a manner such that the pad is gathered throughoutthe pad structure to form a cushioned structure, said backing beingeasily removable from the padA .nd means for securing the pad to achild.

3. In a diapering garment, an absorbent pad, a backing sheet for theabsorbent pad, said backing sheet Vbeing stitched to the pad between theupper and lower edges thereof in a manner so that the absorbent pad isgathered longitudinally thereof to form a cushioned soft structure,

and means for securing the garment to a child.

4. In \a diapering garment, an absorbent pad comprising a plurality ofsuperimposed layers of soft absorbent material, a backing sheet for theabsorbent pad, said backing sheet being stitched to the pad near thecenter and transversely layers, and a cover secured to the layers,fastener elements secured to the cover adjacent the edges thereof, anadjustable waistband, side strips secured to the waistband and togetherwith the latter having fastener elements for cooperation with thefastener elements of the cover for securing the latter to the wearer.

6. In a diapering garment, a body portion comprising'two sections, oneadapted to form the back and the lother adapted to form the front of thegarment when placed upon the wearer, said body portion having fastenerelements along the side edges thereof, a belt adapted to extend and besecured around the waist of the wearer, said belt having dependingportions formed with fastener elements adapted to cooplerate with thefastener elements along the side edges of the body portion to hold thegarment on the wearer.

7. In a diapering'garment, a body portion comprising two sections, oneadapted to form the back and the other adapted to form the front of thegarment when placed upon the wearer, a pair of substantially arcuateleg-receiving openings between said sections, fastener elements securedto the body portion along the side edges of said sections, and a beltadapted to extend and be secured adjustably around the waist of thewearer, said belt having depending portions formed with fastenerelements thereon adapted to cooperate with the fastener elements on theside edges of said sections.

8. In a diapering garment, a body portion comprising two sections, oneadapted to form the back of the diaper and the other adapted to form thefront of the diaper, a pair of substantially arcuate leg-receivingopenings locatedsubstantially midway between said sections, fastenerelements secured to the body portion along the side edges of saidsections, a belt adapted to extend around the waist of the child, meansfor adjustably securing said belt, and means depending from said belthaving fastener elements located thereon adapted to cooperate with thefastener elements on the side edges of said sections.

9.'In a diapering garment, a soft absorbent pad, material of greaterstrength than the pad substantially covering both outer sides of saidpad, said material being stitched along a line spaced'inwardly from theedges of said material, said stitches extending `through said materialand through said pad and said stitches being drawn so that the materialand the pad are gathered particularly at the part of the pad intended tobe beneath and adjacent the crotch of the child whereby a soft resilientcushiony waterabsorbent pad structure is formed.

